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Why the West Country Feels Made for Crime Fiction There’s a reason so many mysteries are set in the West Country. The landscape alone does half the work for a writer. Mist drifts across the moors, cliffs rise sharply from the sea, and winding country lanes can turn a simple walk into a tense game of cat and mouse. In the West Country, isolation isn’t just a setting—it’s an instinct. Even the friendliest village can feel claustrophobic when secrets are buried deep, and everyone knows everyone else. Landscape Creates Atmosphere The West Country offers writers an endless supply of dramatic scenery. From windswept hills and rugged coastlines to quiet villages

A Glimpse Behind The Curtain If you are new to my books, the best place to start depends on what kind of reading experience you enjoy most. My novels combine traditional crime-solving with strong characters, dry humour, and a steady pacing that keeps readers turning the pages long after they meant to stop. Whether you prefer police procedurals, private investigations, or darker psychological mysteries, there is a clear entry point into my work. For most readers, the ideal starting place is The Freeman Files series. ‘Fatal Decision’ introduces Gus Freeman, a retired detective inspector who finds himself drawn back into investigations. Gus is not a superhero detective. He is experienced,

In keeping with the theme of my blog posts, have I just hit another bump in the road? Or should I be thankful that a pothole hasn’t ended my journey already? The Kindle ecosystem in 2026 is mature, highly competitive, still growing, and still dominant. The boom days may be long gone, but with global eBook revenues of over twenty billion dollars predicted for this year, things aren’t too shabby. Indeed, that revenue is expected to continue growing over the next five years. Amazon controls roughly two-thirds of the U.S. eBook market and a substantial global share. Indie authors are uploading over a million titles annually. Publishers have to respond to

The Reading Rooms Mysteries See update below – May 16th 2026 Why do so many people enjoy cosy mysteries? Faith Martin. L J Ross and J R Ellis have excelled in this category (and many others). I’ve decided to have a go. I hope to bring you a six-book series in 2026/27, with a main character, Pansy Paget, who is a bookshop owner in a small market town called Sham. In the first book, ‘The Bitter Truth’, a well-known author dies at a book signing event. His new book promised to reveal secrets from the town’s past. There are no front cover images for the series yet, but it won’t come as a

“LINGERING DOUBTS” I’ve finished writing another title and passed it to Vinci Books for their approval. I hadn’t written anything longer than a newsletter since March 2023, and despite insisting I wasn’t suffering from writer’s block,  it was clear something was holding me back from doing what I’d loved for a decade. When you’ve written that final page, read through the manuscript for the hundredth time, you get an indescribable feeling. A mixture of euphoria, relief, satisfaction, and fear. Fear that it’s not as good as what came before. I thought The Freeman Files needed a prequel —perhaps even deserved one — so readers would understand why Gus Freeman came

How Can You Tell? If you’ve followed me from the beginning, you know I was fiercely independent for the first decade. There was no way I was interested in going cap in hand to a traditional publisher to get my books published. Of course, I made mistakes. My early efforts received the reviews they deserved, but occasionally, some readers appreciated the characters and storylines without cringing at the punctuation and grammar. As the original titles were corrected, and later books got a more thorough edit before publication, my band of readers grew, and the reviews became less critical. With practice, I became a better writer. At the very least, I’d

Exciting Times  I’m delighted to announce that I’ve signed with Vinci-Books, a new UK publishing house. This partnership with Vinci-Books brings a host of benefits. It will significantly increase my distribution footprint, making my books more widely available. They are currently available on Amazon in English as paperbacks and eBooks, with audio versions of part of the Freeman Files Series. This is just the beginning of our journey together. Vinci-Books will distribute my existing and future titles in bookstores and libraries. All my books will also be available in audio form. In addition, my titles will be translated into multiple foreign languages for global distribution.  With their hugely experienced publishing

Many years ago I learned the lyrics of the song – ‘You Never Can Tell’. Chuck Berry had a way with words that was so different from the standard pop song lyrics. They were complicated, and a devil to learn. That seems to sum up everything facing me at present. You never can tell what will happen next.    You can’t stand still in this game. Even when you believe you have all your ducks in a row there’s a new gimmick that other authors are trying, or a tried-and-trusted system is no longer available. When I see an opening in the schedule for getting to grips with that next